My friend and I had a huge fight about adding dish soap to ink

Last week, we were mixing a batch of dark blue in my garage, trying to get the flow right for a flex nib. He swears by adding a tiny drop of clear dish soap, like 1 drop per 10ml, to cut surface tension. I think that's a bad idea because it can mess with the ink's pH and make it go bad faster, plus it might eat at some pen parts over time. He says he's done it for 3 years with no problems, but I had a batch turn weird and clog a pen after just 6 months. Who's right here? Is dish soap a legit flow aid or a ticking time bomb for your ink?

3 comments

3 Comments

river_bailey22d ago

Honestly, the real risk is soap residue messing with how the ink dries on paper.

coleman.karen2d ago

You're right about soap residue, @river_bailey2! I read a piece from a print shop owner who said it can leave a film that makes ink bead up. It's a sneaky problem most people don't consider.

wright.drew2d ago

My buddy tried the dish soap trick with a bottle of black ink. It wrote great for a few weeks, then the ink turned thick and gummy in the converter. He had to throw the whole bottle out and deep clean his pen.